Portable terminal having wireless charging module

ABSTRACT

A portable terminal is provided, including a cover member which is detachably provided at a rear surface of a main body of a terminal, a resonant antenna for a reception unit provided inside of the cover member, a reception circuit unit provided inside of the main body, and a connection unit for connecting the resonant antenna for a reception unit with the reception circuit unit. The portable terminal efficiently receives the signal power provided from a charger by arranging the resonant antenna inside of the cover member, and minimizes the thickness of the portable terminal by providing the reception circuit unit inside of the main body of the terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/234,912, filed on Jan. 24, 2014, which is a national phase entry ofPCT/KR2012/007492, filed on Sep. 19, 2012, which designates the UnitedStates and claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2011-0099865, filed Sep. 30, 2011 and Korean Patent Application No.10-2012-0101541, filed on Sep. 13, 2012. The contents of each of theseapplications are incorporated herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a portable terminal, and moreparticularly, to a portable terminal provided with a wireless chargingmodule.

2. Description of the Related Art

Portable terminals, such as a cellular phone and a smart phone, continueto grow in terms of functions as multimedia services are expanded. Inaddition, as various application programs are provided, user interfaceenvironments are developed for user convenience and to satisfy varioususer preferences.

Portable terminals generally include bar-type, folder-type,sliding-type, and swing-type terminals. When mobile communications suchas voice and short message transmissions were principal functions,folder-type and slider-type terminals were predominant in the market.However, enlarged display devices of portable terminals have increasedas multimedia services have progressed. Accordingly, physical keypadshave generally been replaced by a touch screen function, which improvesthe portability of a portable terminal since a display device may beenlarged and the portable terminal thickness may be reduced.

In addition, a portable terminal is provided with antenna devices thatenable communication in various frequency bands such as a DMB (DigitalMultimedia Broadcasting), a LAN (Local Area Network), an NFC (Near FieldCommunication), and a Bluetooth® antenna in addition to an antennadevice for a wireless communication function. Recently, portableterminals have been equipped with an antenna and a module that providesa mobile charging function.

FIG. 1 illustrates a portable terminal 100. In particular, FIG. 1illustrates a configuration provided with a wireless charging modulethat includes a receiving-side resonant antenna 131 providing a wirelesscharging function and a receiving circuit unit provided on a substrate133.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the terminal 100 includes a battery-mountinggroove 119 formed on a back surface of a body 101, and a camera module117 provided at a side of the battery-mounting groove 119. Thebattery-mounting groove 119 is concealed by a cover member 102detachably provided on the back surface of the body 101. A user may openthe battery-mounting groove 119 by removing the cover member 102 asneeded. In addition, the cover member 102 is provided with an opening127 that exposes the camera module 117 so that a subject may bephotographed even when the cover member 102 is coupled to the body 101.

A wireless charging module is provided on the inner surface of the covermember 102. The wireless charging module includes a receiving-sideresonant antenna 131 and a receiving circuit unit. A second cover member141 may be provided on the inner surface of the cover member 102 so asto provide a stable installment structure of the receiving-side resonantantenna 131 and the receiving circuit unit.

The receiving-side resonant antenna 131 produces signal power by amagnetic induction or magnetic resonance phenomenon, according to anelectromagnetic field generated at a primary coil of a charger (notillustrated), and transmits the signal power to the receiving circuitunit. A connection piece 131 a connected to the receiving circuit unitis formed at a side of the receiving-side resonance antenna 131, whichmay be attached on the inner surface of the cover member 102. In theportable terminal 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, however, the second covermember 141 is coupled to the cover member 102 when the receiving-sideresonant antenna 131 is attached to the inner surface of the secondcover member 141. As a result, the receiving-side resonant antenna 131is disposed on the inner surface of the cover member 102.

Thus, the terminal 100 is provided with an electromagnetic shieldingmember 139 in order to cut off an electromagnetic field effect exertedon circuit devices inside the body or a battery pack, formed around thereceiving-side resonance antenna 131. The electromagnetic shieldingmember 139 is attached on the cover member 102 and interposed betweenthe receiving-side resonant antenna 131 and the body 101. Since thereceiving-side resonant antenna 131 is directly attached to the secondcover member 141, the receiving-side resonant antenna 131 may beattached on the electromagnetic shielding member 139 after theelectromagnetic shielding member 139 is attached to the second covermember 141 in advance.

Since the receiving circuit unit includes the wireless charging circuitprovided on the substrate 133, the receiving circuit unit convertssignal power received through the receiving-side resonant antenna 131into charging power, and provides the charging power to the battery packmounted on the body 101. A connection portion 131 b corresponding to theconnection piece 131 a is provided at a side of the substrate 133. Thereceiving circuit unit is also attached to the second cover member 141together with the receiving-side resonant antenna 131. When thereceiving-side resonant antenna 131 and the receiving circuit unit areattached to the second cover member 141, the connection piece 131 a andthe connection portion 131 b are engaged with each other to beelectrically connected.

A flexible printed circuit board 135 is disposed at a side of thereceiving circuit unit and includes a connection pad 137 at one end. Thecharging power provided from the receiving circuit unit is transmittedto the body 101 through the flexible printed circuit board 135 and theconnection pad 137. The body 101 is provided with connection terminals115 at a side of the battery-mounting groove 119. When the cover member102 is coupled to the body 101, the connection pad 137 is connected withthe connection terminals 115, thereby providing the charging power tothe body 101, in particular, to the battery pack mounted on the body101.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a configuration of the wirelesscharging module disposed on the cover member 102. In FIG. 2, the heighth of the wireless charging module, i.e. the thickness is illustrated. itis noted that the second cover member 141 is not illustrated in FIG. 2,and the wireless charging module is illustrated as being directlyattachable to the cover member 102.

The receiving-side resonance antenna 131 and the electromagneticshielding member 139 are stacked on the inner surface of the covermember 102. The receiving circuit unit includes circuit elements 133 asuch as a charging control circuit chip and an inductor, which aremounted on the substrate 133. The thicknesses of the receiving-sideresonant antenna 131 and the substrate 133 are about 0.35 mm, thethickness of the electromagnetic shielding member 139 is about 0.6 mm,and the maximum height of the circuit elements 133 a is about 1.25 mm.Accordingly, the maximum thickness of the wireless charging module fromthe inner surface of the cover member 102 is about 1.6 mm.

As described above, as multimedia functions of portable terminals haveexpanded, display devices have been enlarged and efforts have been madeto reduce the thickness and weight of the portable terminals. A wirelesscharging module may enhance the convenience to charge a portableterminal but increases the thickness of the portable terminal.Particularly, slimmer portable terminals having a thickness of not morethan 10 mm will have compromised size when equipped with a wirelesscharging module having a thickness of about 1.6 mm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to address at least the aboveproblems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present inventionprovides a portable terminal that is equipped with a wireless chargingmodule including an additional antenna, particularly, a receiving-sideresonant antenna, which improves user convenience.

In addition, the present invention provides a portable terminal having adecreased thickness for portability purposes, even though the portableterminal is equipped with a wireless charging module.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a portable terminalincludes a cover member that is detachably provided on a back surface ofa body of the portable terminal, a receiving-side resonant antennaprovided on an inner surface of the cover member, a receiving circuitunit accommodated inside the body of the mobile terminal, and aconnection device that electrically connects the receiving-side resonantantenna and the receiving circuit unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a portableterminal includes a body that is formed with a battery-mounting grooveon a back surface of the body, a cover member that is detachablyprovided on a back surface of a body of the portable terminal to openand close the battery-mounting groove, a receiving-side resonant antennaprovided on an inner surface of the cover member, and a receivingcircuit unit accommodated inside the body. When the cover member iscoupled to the body, the receiving-side resonant antenna is electricallyconnected to the receiving circuit unit, and the receiving circuit unitincludes a wireless charging circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a portable terminal according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a wireless charging module of theportable terminal illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a portable terminal, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the back surface of the body of the portable terminalillustrated in FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an appearance of the body of the portable terminalfrom which the rear case is removed, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. A detaileddescription of known functions and configurations incorporated hereinwill be omitted for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

The portable terminal of the present invention may efficiently receivesignal power provided from a charger since the receiving-side resonantantenna is arranged on the inner surface of the cover member. Since thereceiving circuit unit is accommodated inside the body of the terminal,the thickness of the portable terminal is minimized. Accordingly, thepresent invention enables miniaturization of the portable terminal whileimproving convenience in use by enabling wireless charging.

FIG. 3 illustrates a portable terminal 200 according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates the back surface of the body201 of the portable terminal illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 illustratesan appearance of the body 201 of the portable terminal from which therear case is removed.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, the portable terminal 200 includes acover member 202 that is detachably provided on a back surface of a body201 of the portable terminal 200, a receiving-side resonant antenna 231attached to an inner surface of the cover member 201, a receivingcircuit unit 233 a accommodated inside the body 201, and a connectiondevice that electrically connects the receiving-side resonant antenna231 and the receiving circuit unit 233 a. The receiving-side resonantantenna 231 receives signal power from the outside and the receivedsignal power is converted into charging power through the receivingcircuit unit 233 a. In other words, the receiving-side resonant antenna231 and the receiving circuit unit 233 a constitutes a wireless chargingmodule.

The body 201 includes a window member 211 a coupled to a front surfaceof the body 201 and accommodates a main circuit board 213 and a displaymodule 211 b. The back surface of the body 201 is formed with abattery-mounting groove 219, into a side of which a camera module 217may be installed. The display module 211 b is installed to face theinner surface of the window member 211 a, and the main circuit board 213is positioned inside the display module 211 b. The receiving circuitunit 233 a accommodated in the body 201 may be configured on a boardprovided separately from the main circuit board 213.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the receiving circuit unit233 a is configured by circuit elements such as a charging controlcircuit chip or an inductor, which are mounted on the main circuit board213. In that event, the receiving circuit unit 233 a, which isaccommodated in a space that is already secured inside the body 201,does not increase the thickness of the portable terminal 200.

A flexible printed circuit board 233 b connected to the receivingcircuit unit 233 a is arranged at a side edge in the inner surface ofthe window member 211 a of the main circuit board 213, and a connectionterminal 233 c is provided at an end of the flexible printed circuitboard 233 b. The connection terminal 233 c is exposed to the outsidethrough electrode holes 215 formed at a side of the battery-mountinggroove 219 on the back surface of the body 201.

Although the electrode holes 215 and the connection terminal 233 c areconfigured to be exposed to the outside of the body 201, both theelectrode holes 215 and the connection terminal 233 c are concealed bythe cover member 202 when the cover member 202 is coupled to the body201. The cover member 202 is detachably provided on the back surface ofthe body 201 so as to conceal the battery-mounting groove 219 and theconnection terminal 233 c, and is provided with an opening 227 toprovide a photographing path by exposing the camera module 217.

The receiving-side resonant antenna 231 is a type of resonator (RXresonator) that generates signal power by a magnetic induction ormagnetic resonance phenomenon, according to an electromagnetic fieldgenerated at a primary coil of a charger (not illustrated), andtransmits the signal power to the receiving circuit unit 233 a. Thereceiving-side resonant antenna 231 takes a form of a flat plate or afilm that may be attached to the inner surface of the cover member 202,and may be configured in various patterns using a copper plate or aconductive material such as silver or gold. The receiving-side resonantantenna 231 receives a radio frequency, i.e., the signal power, andtransmits the signal power to the receiving circuit unit 233 a. In otherwords, when power is applied to the primary coil of the charger (notillustrated), the receiving-side resonant antenna 231 is operated as asecondary coil to generate and provide an induced power to the receivingcircuit unit 233 a. When the receiving circuit unit 233 a includes awireless charging circuit configured by circuit elements such as acharging control circuit chip and an inductor, the receiving circuitunit 233 a may convert the signal power provided from the receiving-sideresonant antenna 231 into charging power so as to charge a battery packcoupled to the battery-mounting groove 219.

A second flexible printed circuit board 235 and a connection pad 237 areprovided at an end of the second flexible printed circuit board 235 at aside of the receiving-side resonant antenna 231. The connection pad 237is provided to correspond to the connection terminal 233 c so as toconnect the receiving-side resonant antenna 231 to the receiving circuitunit 233 a when the cover member 202 is coupled to the body 201. Thatis, the connection pad 237 and the connection terminal 233 c arepractically used as a connection device that connects the receiving-sideresonant antenna 231 to the receiving circuit unit 233 a.

The receiving-side resonant antenna 231 is attached to the inner surfaceof the cover member 202, and then an electromagnetic shielding member239 is coupled to the inner surface of the cover member 202.Accordingly, the electromagnetic shielding member 239 is interposedbetween the receiving-side resonant antenna 231 and the body 201 andsuppresses an electromagnetic field or electromagnetic waves generatedaround the receiving-side resonant antenna 231 from affecting the insideof the body 201.

In that event, the portable terminal 200 may further include a secondcover member 241. Various antennas such as a LAN, Bluetooth®, and NFCantenna are included in the cover member 202, in addition to thereceiving-side resonant antenna 231. The second cover member 241 may beattached to the inner surface of the cover member 202 to conceal thevarious antennas. The receiving-side resonant antenna 231 and theelectromagnetic shielding member 239 may be attached to the second covermember 241. In that event, the electromagnetic shielding member 239 isfirst attached to the second cover member 241, and the receiving-sideresonant antenna 231 is attached on the electromagnetic shielding member239.

The second cover member 241 is attached to the cover member 202 when thereceiving-side resonant antenna 231 faces the inner surface of the covermember 202. That is, although in an embodiment, the second cover member241 is separate from the electromagnetic shielding member 239, thesecond cover member 241 itself may be configured as the electromagneticshielding member or only the electromagnetic shielding member 239 may beinterposed between the receiving-side resonant antenna 231 and the backside of the body 201. In addition, although the second cover member 241is shaped as a synthetic resin mold or by processing a metal plate orthe like, the second cover member 241 may be made of a film or a sheethaving an electromagnetic shielding characteristic.

When the receiving-side resonant antenna, the electromagnetic shieldingmember, and the receiving circuit unit for example, are fabricated withthe conventional standards as illustrated in FIG. 1, the receivingcircuit unit 233 a does not practically affect the thickness of theportable terminal 200 since the receiving circuit unit 233 a isaccommodated inside the body 201. The conventional wireless chargingmodule causes the thickness of a portable terminal to be increased up to1.6 mm when it is incorporated in the portable terminal. However, thewireless charging module according to an embodiment of the presentinvention suppresses the increase of the thickness to be less than 1 mm,more specifically, to 0.95 mm. Accordingly, the present invention isadvantageous in enhancing portability and convenience of a portableterminal, by incorporating a wireless charging function in the portableterminal.

While the present invention has been shown and described with referenceto certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asdefined by the appended claims.

1: An electronic device, comprising: a housing; an antenna provided atan inside of the housing and configured to receive a first power basedon an electromagnetic field provided from an external charger device; acircuit board including a receiving circuit, wherein the receivingcircuit is configured to convert the first power received by the antennainto a second power for charging a battery of the electronic device; anda connection circuit configured to electrically connect the antenna andthe receiving circuit, wherein the connection circuit comprises: aconnection pad located at one end of a flexible printed circuit board(FPCB) and electrically connected to the antenna; and a connectionterminal configured to physically contact the connection pad andelectrically connected to the receiving circuit. 2: The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the antenna is configured as a resonator. 3:The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is attached by anelectromagnetic shield to the inside of the housing. 4: The electronicdevice of claim 1, further comprising another antenna for near fieldcommunication at the inside of the housing. 5: The electronic device ofclaim 4, wherein the another antenna is concealed by an electromagneticshield which attaches the antenna to the inside of the housing. 6: Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a firstmember and a second member, and the first member of the bodyaccommodates a display. 7: The electronic device of claim 1, wherein acamera is provided on the back surface of the housing, and an opening isprovided in the housing for a photographing path of the camera. 8: Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the first power received by theantenna is provided in a form of electromagnetic induction,electromagnetic resonance, and electromagnetic waves. 9: An electronicdevice, comprising: a housing including a body and a cover configuredfor detachable attachment to the body; an antenna disposed at an innerside of the cover and for receiving power based on an electromagneticfield provided from an external device; battery control circuitry,disposed in the interior space of the body, for converting a powerreceived by the antenna into another power for charging a battery of theelectronic device; an antenna connection circuit electrically connectedto the antenna and disposed at the inner side of the cover; and abattery control circuitry connection circuit electrically connected tothe battery control circuitry and disposed for contacting the antennaconnection circuit while the cover is attached to the body. 10: Theelectronic device of claim 9, comprising a smart phone. 11: Theelectronic device of claim 9, wherein the antenna is attached to aninner-side surface of the cover by a shield. 12: The electronic deviceof claim 9, wherein the antenna is configured as a resonator. 13: Theelectronic device of claim 9, further comprising an electromagneticshield for electromagnetically shielding the antenna, and the antenna isattached by the electromagnetic shield to the inner-side surface of thecover. 14: The electronic device of claim 9, further a display moduledisposed in the interior space of the body. 15: The electronic device ofclaim 9, further comprising another antenna for near field communicationat the inner-side surface of the cover. 16: The electronic device ofclaim 15, wherein further comprising a shield configured to attach theantenna to an inner-side surface of the cover, and wherein the otherantenna is concealed by the shield. 17: The electronic device of claim9, wherein the body of the electronic device includes a circuit boardand the battery control circuitry is provided on the circuit board. 18:The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the body includes a firstmember and a second member, the first member of the body accommodates adisplay. 19: The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the powerreceived by the antenna is provided in a form of electromagneticinduction, electromagnetic resonance, and electromagnetic waves. 20: Anelectronic device comprising: a housing including a body and a coverdetachably attached to the body; an antenna disposed at an inner side ofthe cover and for receiving power based on an electromagnetic fieldprovided from an external device; a circuit board disposed in the bodyand including a receiving circuit, the receiving circuit is configuredto convert the power received by the antenna in a charging power for abattery of the electronic device; and a connection circuit configured toelectrically connect the antenna and the receiving circuit, wherein theconnection circuit comprises: a connection pad disposed the inner sideof the cover and electrically connected to the antenna; and a connectionterminal disposed on the body and electrically connected to thereceiving circuit, and wherein the connection terminal is configured tophysically contact the connection pad.